Finding a tradie as simple as clicking a button

by Mark Fenton-Jones
Fed up with looking for a reliable tradesman to turn up at your home at a time and price that is convenient for your?

The guide lists home renovation costs and associated services around the country. Want to know the cost of calling a painter, plumber or electrician? This report identifies the highest, lowest and average costs of trades and contractors supplying home repair and renovation services. For example, plumbers charge between $25 and $178 an hour, with an average quoted price of $68 an hour. The guide calculates that the average total price for a typical plumbing job is $1093.

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WhoCanDo.com.au is yet another site, although it has been around for a couple of years. Like the other sites, it’s enabling consumers and renovators to outsource their research and chase tradesmen. Buyers list their needs online and service providers give their quotes.

Founded by former Gartner consultant Robert Finkeldey in 2007, the value of jobs has ranged from as low as $50 to $10,000 [WhoCanDo May 2010: largest job to date $1,350,000]. He says the site’s own research shows that for many customers, saving money is not as important as saving time.

Source: Australian Financial Review, Weekend Edition, Section Business Enterprise, Page 16, October 3-4, 2009